Yemen’s Houthis claimed attacks on two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea on 22 July, days after the group had announced a blockade on Saudi Arabia (MEES, 24 July). The group announced that it had struck the Encelia Aframax and Layla VLCC, the latter owned by Saudi shipping firm Bahri. The UKMTO said on 22 July that a tanker had been struck by a projectile 70 nautical miles southwest of Saudi Arabia’s Shuqaiq port, and Saudi Arabia’s SPA news agency confirmed the attack on Encelia. There has been no confirmation of an attack on Layla, which was due to deliver 2mn barrels of Saudi crude to Aramco’s Jazan refinery.
The attacks demonstrated the seriousness of the Houthi threat to Saudi oil exports through the Bab al-Mandeb. Kpler data shows that even prior to the attacks, some vessels had switched off their AIS transponders in an apparent attempt to evade the Houthi blockade. Some also appear to be diverting north to Egypt’s Sumed pipeline or the Suez Canal. (CONTINUED - 267 WORDS)
